Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center

Welcome to the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. Our goal is to provide the very best care for stroke and stroke-related conditions, helping each child recover as quickly and fully as possible.

We see children of all ages — from newborns through adolescents — with a variety of strokes and stroke-related conditions. These include arterial and venous strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and strokes caused by specific underlying conditions, such as congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease, moyamoya disease and other diseases of the blood vessels. Stroke can affect all parts of a child’s brain and spinal cord.

This diverse team of specialists is dedicated to caring for children with stroke, non-traumatic bleeding in the brain and other cerebrovascular disorders. We see children at every stage of stroke from acute care in the emergency department through long-term follow-up, rehabilitation and planning for each child’s educational needs.

Together, we offer:

rapid, comprehensive evaluations, including advanced neuroimaging, to identify quickly whether a stroke has occurred and what parts of the brain or spinal cord could be affected

access to therapies administered in the earliest stages of stroke that are designed to remove blockages in brain blood vessels

long-term multidisciplinary care to prevent additional strokes

resources to help children and parents deal with the consequences of stroke at home and in school

Our areas of innovation

The Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center is one of the most active pediatric stroke research centers in the world. Through our participation in ongoing clinical and laboratory studies, we aim to improve our understanding of the various factors involved in pediatric stroke, as well as increase our knowledge of treatment options.

Patient resources

You and your family may find these links helpful in learning about stroke and connecting with other children and parents affected by stroke:

Related Clinical Services

Boston Children's Hospital has been named the #1 children's hospital in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for the fifth year in a row! It's an honor that we could not have achieved without you. On behalf of every member of our Boston Children's team, thank you for inspiring us to be bolder, dream bigger, and make the impossible possible for our patients and families.